It’s not easy to find definitive information regarding a minimum or maximum KDP word count for Kindle ebooks.
For many new self-publishing authors, finding related information on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Help can be challenging.
You have to dig very deep to find the maximum file sizes or page counts for print books.
So, to save you some time and perhaps frustration, I’ve done some research that will hopefully provide you with all the answers you need.
Can a book be too short or long to publish on Amazon KDP?
Yes, there are limitations on the number of pages in a print book.
The minimum is 24 pages, and the maximum is 828.
However, for ebooks, the answer is not as clear-cut.
One aspect, though, is generally accepted. KDP word count for Kindle ebooks can be too short.
In 2013, Amazon KDP confirmed that it was removing titles of less than 2,500 words.
You won’t find this information in KDP help now. But it was documented in an email message to a self-publishing author.
The only reference to short ebooks now from KDP Help refers to disappointing content.
It’s like a lot of the guidelines on KDP Help. It’s sometimes hard to find definitive information.
Hopefully, this article will help you if you can’t find the information you are looking for.
So let’s look at each book format in more detail.
Print book limitations
The first limitation is your pdf file size.
While KDP gives no warning regarding the interior file size for a print book, it says this about book cover files.
File size. Cover files larger than 650MB won’t convert. We recommend a file size of 40MB or less because large files can slow down printing.
I can only assume that this file limit would also apply to an interior file if it contained a lot of images.
While there is no word count limit, KDP print books do have a restriction on the number of pages.
You can see from the table above that there is a minimum of 24 pages.
However, the maximum depends on the type of print book you choose. While the maximum is 828 pages, some formats are limited to 776 or 600 pages.
If you are trying to estimate word count in relation to pages, it’s not an easy calculation.
But you can estimate your KDP word count and pages by using this calculator.
For example, a book of 100,000 words using 13pt Times New Roman would be approximately 292 pages.
But the same book using Verdana 14pt would be 341 pages.
The KDP limits for print books are quite generous.
For most authors, especially low content book publishers, you will have no problems.
Limitations for Kindle Ebooks
The information is not as clear for Kindle ebooks as for print books.
From memory, I had some idea about the limitations.
But it took me a while to research and dig around to find reliable and accurate data.
I had to resort to using the Wayback Machine to find a removed entry from KDP Help about the maximum ebook file size.
You can try this link to view the full page. But here is a screenshot if that fails.
It seems to confirm that the same 650Mb applies to ebooks. So it may be that this is the file size limit across all KDP publishing.
Further down this page, there is also this note.
KDP currently supports files of 650 megabytes or less and 8,000 pages or fewer. If you try to upload a file larger than this, it will not convert.
Amazon does not mention this limit to the number of pages in an ebook in its current help pages.
However, I recall that it did place a limit some time ago due to Kindle Unlimited (KU) scams.
I managed to find an old article on The Digital Reader that announced that KDP had placed a limit of 3,000 KENP pages.
It is also now noted in KDP Help:
Author earnings are then determined by their share of total pages read, up to a total of 3,000 pages per customer per title.
However, it doesn’t mean that KDP limits an ebook by page count.
It only means that an ebook of more than 3,000 pages will not earn Kindle Unlimited KENP royalties for any additional pages above this limit.
Restrictions to note for ebooks
As I mentioned earlier in this article, there is a minimum word count of approximately 2,500 words.
Even though KDP doesn’t mention this number, it’s safe to say that it is a good guide.
It’s also a reasonable assumption that 8,000 pages represent the maximum. But who would publish a book that long?
The only definitive guide is that if you enroll your ebook in Kindle Unlimited, it should be less than 3,000 pages.
However, if you don’t enroll in KU and only want to sell ebooks, your page count is not restricted.
Well, unless you get to 8,000 pages!
The only additional note worth mentioning is that your ebook file size can adversely affect your ebook royalty earnings.
If your ebook contains video embeds or a lot of large images, you could lose a lot of money in Kindle download charges.
Summary
As with all things Internet and online, things change.
Amazon KDP Help is no exception. Pages are constantly updated, moved, or removed.
However, given the available information, some KDP limitations seem to have remained constant for some years now.
1. The maximum file size KDP can upload is 650Mb for print books and ebooks. It seems to be a system limitation.
2. Print books have a minimum of 24 pages and a maximum of 828.
3. The minimum word count for ebooks is 2,500. There is no maximum word count limit on ebooks.
4. There is a 3,000-page limit for Kindle Unlimited ebooks.
You will have no issues if you are self-publishing a text-only novel between 40,000 and 120,000 words.
The only time you need to take care is when you publish an ebook with a lot of images.
One high-resolution image can often be as large as 4-10Mb or even more.
When you have a lot of images, it doesn’t take long for your file size to grow.
If you include images in a book or ebook, make sure you resize and optimize your images before publishing.
I remember reading a post on a support forum about an author trying to publish an 850Mb ebook on Amazon.
That is just way too big for any online system.
There’s one last note worth mentioning.
The limits I have mentioned in this article are also probably generally true for other online self-publishing platforms.
Related reading: When A Self-Published Author Dies What Happens To Their Books?
You said, “Print books have a minimum of 24 pages.”
Mine is 82 pages, but KDP is still saying that’s too thin to publish.
This week (January 31, 2024), I found out that if the book is too thin, KDP sends an email after you click “Publish” telling you that the title or author’s name is either too big or too small for the spine.
What this means in plain English is that the spine is too thin to print the title and author’s name.
They still let me buy “proof” copies for myself, but I can’t publish it for others to buy!
Hello David,
I rechecked, and the minimum is still 24 pages.
The only thing I can suggest is having no text on the spine or removing the author’s name at least. I’m not sure if it will work, but it may be worth a try.
Everything on KDP is automated, so if you continue to have problems, perhaps contact KDP support. They may be able to help.
Another great information article. Pleased to have found your site. It has been so helpful on so many issues.
Kind regards
Ann
I’m very pleased to hear that you find the site useful, Ann.
Thanks, this is really useful info. I spent hours last year trying to find out why my poetry pamphlet wouldn’t upload to KDP and all I could find was a lower limit of 72 pages. I put it on Lulu instead in the end, but actually 24 pages is fine, I just needed to put a couple of pages in with images on to pad it out.
Happy to hear that you found the information about Amazon KDP useful, Michael.
Thank you for this very interesting information. Not easy to find this otherwhere, so it is a great help. Best wishes, Michael